Words / B2

TYOOM-uh/ˈtjuːmə/

A tumour is a lump of extra cells, which may be benign or malignant (British spelling): a brain tumour; tumour size. Cancer is the disease name when malignant; growth is vaguer. Quote tumour size from the table, not a headline scare. Mix-up: rumour; humor/humour. US spelling: tumor. Do not diagnose a classmate in an essay.

Meaning

A lump of extra cells, which may be benign or malignant (British spelling).

Examples

• “Quote tumour size from the table, not a headline scare.”
• “A benign tumour still needs the histology line, which is the non-cancerous sense.”

Good to know

a benign / malignant tumour; tumour size / cells. Disease name (malignant): cancer. US: tumor. Trap: rumour. Biology and health. Extra cell mass — use the source’s clinical wording.

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